Friday, March 16, 2007

zumthor's bruder klaus field chapel

photo by ony one on flickrinspired from a post on gravestmor [after finding the slideshow no longer worked], we did some digging on flickr and found this short but fascinating set on peter zumthor's chapel in mechernich, germany.

...constructed by local farmers in honour of their patron saint, the 15th-century hermit Bruder Klaus. The chapel is made using a technique coined by Zumthor as “rammed concrete”. The farmers made up the outer walls by pouring 50cm of concrete every day to create 24 layers, varying in texture and colour. Inside, the prayer space is formed from local tree trunks, creating a teepee-shaped structure that were slowly burnt out. This created a concrete space impressed with the markings of trees. The floor is poured lead.

the flickr photoset includes a beautiful floor plan rendering, and some poeticimages of the chapel's interior. evidently this project makes an appearance in the recently published atmospheres, a book based upon a transcript of a lecture by the zum himself.

the seemingly global fascination with this man is legendary, which only adds to his mythic persona.